With its act of incorporation being signed on February 4, 1814, the academy opened its doors in 1815. Beginning in small wood framed buildings, by the beginning of the 1840s enrollment had increased sufficiently to require the construction of Russell Hall in 1841 as a dormitory and Academy Hall in 1847 as a classroom.
Originally a private school, in 1873 an agreement was reached with the town to provide free schooling to residents. After the town built a school the academy reverted to an all private school. As towns throughout New England built public schools, one by one the private academies fell by the wayside, leaving just a handful operating today. Whether through good luck or good management, North Yarmouth Academy is one of those few.
Descriptions of the two earliest buildings, Russell Hall and Academy Hall,, from the NRHP Nomination Form, follow.
Russell and Academy Halls at North Yarmouth Academy are fine examples
of the Greek Revival style educational buildings which were erected in
Maine towns before the Civil War. The construction of Russell Hall in
1841 was followed by Academy Hall in 1847. Both were built of brick with
granite and wood trim.
The first of the two halls, Russell, was erected in 1841 as a dormitory.
The building is rectangular in shape, stands three stories high, and
has a gable roof. In the Greek Revival manner, one of its gable ends, the
south wall, serves as the façade. The façade foundation is constructed
of granite, while its three stories are of brick. The façade is divided
into three recessed bays, by four brick pilasters with wooden capitals. On
the first story, the central bay contains a door flanked by sidelights
and having a granite lintel above it. A flight of granite steps leads
to the door. Each of the two side bays contains a six-over-six paned
window with a granite sill and lintel. Identical windows appear in each
of the three bays of the second and third story façade.
Academy Hall was erected in 1847 for classroom use. Located east of
Russell Hall, it is smaller in scale but of similar Greek Revival design to
the earlier building. Academy Hall is rectangular in shape, stands two storys
high, and has a gable roof. In the Greek Revival manner, one of its
ends, the south wall, serves as the façade. The façade foundation is constructed
of granite, while its two and a half stories are of brick. The facade is divided into three recessed bays by four brick pilasters. On the first story, the central bay contains a double window which has a granite sill and lintel. Each of the two side bays has a door with a granite sill and lintel. Each door is approached by a flight of granite steps. On the second story, each bay contains a twelve-over-twelve paned window with a granite sill and lintel.
Above the second story is a modified classical entablature executed in
brick. The triangular shape of the façade gable end is faced in brick and
is outlined in wooden cornice molding to give the appearance of a Grecian
pediment. The design of the façade is completed by a Greek Revival belfry.
From the Nomination Form